France Web Accessibility (RGAA and Law 2005-102)
France requires web accessibility through Article 47 of Law 2005-102 and its implementing decrees: public-sector bodies AND private companies with revenue in France of EUR 250 million or more must make their websites, intranets and mobile applications conform to the RGAA (Referentiel General d'Amelioration de l'Accessibilite), publish an accessibility declaration per site, display the conformance status on every page, and maintain a multi-year accessibility plan. The RGAA's technical baseline is WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549, and the 2023 reform raised the ceiling on fines to EUR 50,000 per non-compliant service, renewable while the violation persists - with the European Accessibility Act extending duties to e-commerce, banking and other private services regardless of the revenue threshold.
What is RGAA (France)?
French web accessibility law is built on Article 47 of the 2005 disability-rights law (Law 2005-102), made operational by Decree 2019-768 and the RGAA. The RGAA translates WCAG 2.1 Level AA (through the European standard EN 301 549) into 106 testable criteria adapted to French legal requirements. Covered organizations must reach RGAA conformance, publish an accessibility declaration for each website and app stating its conformance level (fully, partially or not compliant - and that status must appear on the site itself), publish a three-year accessibility plan (schema pluriannuel) with annual action plans, and provide users a way to report barriers and reach a mediation path. Law 2023-171 and Decree 2023-931 (2023) strengthened enforcement as part of France's European Accessibility Act transposition, adding new supervising authorities and substantially higher penalties.
Who must comply?
All public-sector bodies (state, local government, public agencies and bodies delegated a public mission), plus private companies whose average revenue generated in France over the last three financial years is EUR 250 million or more. The European Accessibility Act, transposed into French law and applying since June 28, 2025, extends accessibility duties to in-scope private services - e-commerce, consumer banking, e-books, transport ticketing and telecoms - including SMEs above the microenterprise threshold, regardless of the EUR 250M test.
Key requirements
- Conform to the RGAA (current major version 4), whose baseline is WCAG 2.1 Level AA via EN 301 549.
- Publish an accessibility declaration for every website, intranet, extranet and mobile app, and state the conformance level (totalement / partiellement / non conforme) visibly on the site.
- Publish a multi-year accessibility plan covering at most three years, plus an annual action plan.
- Give users an accessible way to report accessibility barriers and escalate to the Defenseur des droits mediation path.
- EAA-scope services must additionally meet the European Accessibility Act requirements in force since June 28, 2025.
Key dates & deadlines
Penalties & enforcement
Under the 2019 regime, failing the publication obligations (declaration, plan, page status) carried an administrative fine of up to EUR 20,000 per site per year. The 2023 reform (Law 2023-171, Decree 2023-931) raised sanctions sharply: up to EUR 50,000 per service for non-compliance, renewable every six months while the breach continues, with ARCOM and the DGCCRF empowered to supervise and sanction. Discrimination claims can also be pursued through the Defenseur des droits.
How RGAA (France) relates to WCAG
The RGAA is France's national implementation of WCAG: its technical criteria map to WCAG 2.1 Level AA through EN 301 549, restructured into 106 French-law criteria with test methodology. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA satisfies the RGAA baseline and positions you for future RGAA revisions, since WCAG 2.2 is backward-compatible with 2.1.
How EqualWeb helps you meet RGAA (France)
EqualWeb helps French-market sites reach and prove RGAA conformance: expert audits mapped to WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA criteria, AI plus certified-expert remediation, continuous monitoring that catches regressions, and the audit trail and conformance documentation your accessibility declaration and multi-year plan are built on.
RGAA (France) - frequently asked questions
Does the RGAA apply to private companies?
What is the difference between the RGAA and WCAG?
What are the fines for non-compliance in France?
Do I need an accessibility declaration in French?
Official sources & further reading
Related standards & laws
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